David Axelrod reflects on his experiences in Chicago politics and public affairs, and he discusses Barack Obama's political campaigns for which Axelrod served as chief strategist and media advisor. Axelrod recounts his early work as a journalist, and speaks widely about his involvement with Harold Washington's mayoral administration and 1987 reelection campaign, providing details about Washington's electoral coalitions and contemporary racism in Chicago. Axelrod remembers his initial impressions of Obama, and shares memories of notable events and issues relevant to Obama's political development, including the 2000 Democratic primary in the first congressional district, in which Obama was defeated by Bobby Rush; Obama's October 2002 speech in opposition to the Iraq war; Obama's 2004 campaign for the U.S. Senate and appeal among white voters in downstate Illinois; significant campaign advertisements; Hurricane Katrina and Obama's elevation to national prominence; the 2008 Iowa Democratic presidential caucuses and the Obama campaign's grassroots apparatus in the state; and the Reverend Jeremiah Wright controversy and Obama's A More Perfect Union speech in Philadelphia in March 2008. Also discussed are Axelrod's motivations for transitioning from political journalism to political consulting, Obama's dislike of work and life in the U.S. Senate, and Harold Washington's significance on Obama's political trajectory
Presidents--United States; Political oratory--United States; Communication in politics; Campaign management; Racism--Illinois; Chicago (Ill.) Race relations; Chicago (Ill.) Politics and government; Axelrod, David, 1955-; Obama, Barack; Washington, Harold, 1922-1987; United States
Format
oral histories
Genre
Interviews
Date
2021
Physical Description
56 pages
Note (Biographical)
David Axelrod is an American political consultant, strategist, public servant, and political commentator. He served as senior strategist for the Obama 2008 presidential campaign and the Obama 2012 presidential reelection campaign. From 2009 to 2011, A xelrod served in the White House as senior advisor to the president. After leaving the federal government, he led the effort to establish the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics, serving as the institute's director until January 2023
Note
Interviewed by Adam Green on December 10, 2021. This interview is part of the University of Chicago: Obama Presidency Oral History
Note (Provenance)
David Axelrod, Gift, transferred from Columbia Center for Oral History Research 2023